Tech Superpowers geek -- isn't he adorable? -- replacing our iMac G5s logicboard (the Mother of All Motherboards) and power supply this morning.
It was just a year ago that both of our Dell-with-Windows computers, within a week of each other, gave up the ghost, and we made the switch to Apple for ourselves and a super geek-rebuilt Windows-XP--endowed computer for Tuck. After a period of adjustment, we decided our iMac G5 was the Apple of our eye -- until two weeks ago, when the troubles started:
1. The keyboard stopped working, and this time we hadn't even bashed the keys or thrown the whole thing across the room. It took a phone call and about two days to replace it, delivered right to our front door by DHL one morning. Not bad, but not good, either. Fortunately we had Tuck's XP workhorse as backup.
2. The computer itself started shutting itself off without warning last week. Annoying, to say the least, when you're in the middle of composing a blogpost or Photoshopping an image. That took a couple of extended phone calls to rule out software issues and zero in on hardware. This morning, right on schedule, the repair fellow knocked on our door, walked right in and drove the shadows away. Not bad at all. The AppleCare Protection Plan rocks.
Fun fact: The geek from Tech Superpowers was a self-avowed cat person. Usually when someone comes knocking at our door, the Babe goes running for cover, but this time he happily napped through the whole thing.
Cut my teeth on Apples, then got certified by Microsoft as a Systems Engineer, I much prefer the latter, however, I really think it is Coke and Pepsi. Depends on what you get used to, the all have problems and headaches..Apple, PC and Linux. Apple and PC have much better developed applications though.
Posted by: Mr Bob | July 20, 2006 at 10:55 AM
"The keyboard stopped working, and this time we hadn't even bashed the keys or thrown the whole thing across the room." Heh. You'd think they'd design for these things.
After becoming fed up with that disaster known as Windows ME, I went Mac about two years ago and bought three high-end Apple machines (two G4 PowerBooks and a dual-core G5, at the time the most advanced machine available from Apple). All three machines are maxed out on extra RAM.
My next machine will almost certainly be a PC. I think Apple makes a good product, but I've found the reality to be far short of the hype. In fact, I think the Mac mystique is Apple's single biggest enemy because it creates exaggerated expectations.
Even after numerous patches and bug fixes, I still get spinning beachballs and unexpected quits on a regular basis. The Mail app works only when it feels like it; and on the machine I'm using at this moment, won't handle attachments or html at all.
Meanwhile, the Toshiba I bought a year ago runs like a Cadillac. Win XP is so much better than ME it's not even funny.
One thing I do like about Mac, though, is those built-in RSS feeds in Safari Tiger. Anyway, it's basically Coke vs. Pepsi as you say. Good luck with the new gear.
Posted by: Asher - Dreams Into Lightning | July 20, 2006 at 11:25 AM
Asher... ME was the WORST OS ever put out by Microsoft - bar none. Everyone hated it and it never ever worked right.
Sissy - I know you have an old house - do you have A/C in the room with the computer(s)? Computers do not tolerate heat well at all. Thus my happiness in moving my office to the basement in my new house (it's always cool down here *grin*)
If you don't have A/C - then I suggest the computer be off during the hottest part of the day when we have those 90+ degree days. I would also suggest you get a small floor fan and point it directly at the box - let the fan run 24/7 during the summer months. This will help keep the unit cooler.
Even with A/C in my previous house, I had a special fan that pointed directly at my computers and it ran all the time. I was in an upstairs room that got hot because it was a badly designed house and had poor circulation in the room I was using.
Posted by: Teresa | July 20, 2006 at 01:39 PM
When I think back to those
days before Apple II, it is just such a whole new world. Windows opened another faster moving world after the first miracle of Apple. Now they all have contributed to fabulous personally developed accounting programs and the ability to run the wonderful blogs. There is enough glory to go around. Hail to them all.
Posted by: goomp | July 20, 2006 at 04:38 PM
Don' cha just love geeks? My Mum tells about when I was tiny and the telephone men would come to install the lines inside the house. She couldn't find me for a while and looked everywhere. You know where this is going: I was on the telephone guy's lap, wathing him work. Peppering him with questions no doubt; I was quite a talker. I remember a crush on our TV repairman, a friend of the family. I looked forward to his visits.
A more mature crush developed on my mentor at my last workplace, but by then I was onto the pattern and squelched it. He was a dog person, anyway, and didn't seem to much like cats.
Posted by: pb | July 21, 2006 at 11:26 AM
wow...
apple is something i have used forever...
sometimes i wish it were still OS 9, because i was so used to fixing it with ease.
these new Macs are incredible.
and the Mac plans to help seem to be improving.
a broken IPOD was replaced in a day with DHL and a wonderful warranty.
very impressive.
although i have had some troubles in the past, i have never had any computer tech come directly to the home or office...
that is really helpful.
hoping all your computer troubles are a distant memory for years to come.
Posted by: hNAV | July 21, 2006 at 10:44 PM
My beloved HP Pavilion has the megrims and I believe it needs a new hard drive. I'm very torn because I love that computer but it seems dumb to replace a hard drive for $100 when I could buy a whole new tower for $300! Advice anyone?
Posted by: Gayle Miller | July 27, 2006 at 03:08 PM